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The Bush administration announced Wednesday that it will put in place such a rating system by the end of the year. It's designed to give consumers another tool to consider when shopping for a nursing home. The ratings would be placed on a government Web site.

The Bush administration announced Wednesday that it will put in place such a rating system by the end of the year. It's designed to give consumers another tool to consider when shopping for a nursing home. The ratings would be placed on a government Web site.

It depends on the criteria. If it's like the rating system on hotels, they can do the quick and easy things and still not be good. I've seen some rotten hotels that got a relatively higher rating in the AAA guides that met the criteria; hairdryer, iron, ironing board, etc.

Had a discussion last night at the gym with a physical therapist who had worked in the PT department in several area nursing homes. She said it was amazing how some of the homes w/o all the fancy amenities were the best, took the best care of the folks, kept the patients active and happy.

It depends on the criteria. If it's like the rating system on hotels, they can do the quick and easy things and still not be good. I've seen some rotten hotels that got a relatively higher rating in the AAA guides that met the criteria; hairdryer, iron, ironing board, etc.

Had a discussion last night at the gym with a physical therapist who had worked in the PT department in several area nursing homes. She said it was amazing how some of the homes w/o all the fancy amenities were the best, took the best care of the folks, kept the patients active and happy.

i've found that too..beware of the money spent on coordinated bedspreads..its less money going to staff

i've found that too..beware of the money spent on coordinated bedspreads..its less money going to staff

Exactly what she said. My mom was in one with lovely furniture in the lobby. Since I'm an outside sales rep, I never visited the same time of day. I had to make lots of surprise visits to assure my mom get adequate care.

My grandma, who died in November, spent the last few years of her life in one of the nicest nursing homes I've ever been in. It was also very open for anyone-I could bring my dog in when I visited, kids were always welcome, and so on. The staff treated her very well, for the most part (but my grandpa always complained about the weekend staff). The nurses' aid who was assigned to her Monday to Friday came to her funeral.

But my Grandpa paid for her care. It was about $6000 a month, not including the cost of things like adult diapers and her medications. He also gave cash gifts to the staff on holidays and their birthdays, to ensure that they took good care of her. Plus, he visited her every day, my mom (who is a nurse) visited at least 2-3 times a month (and reviewed all treatments and bills), and it was a nursing home located next to a hospital.

They also had a day care for kids in the same building, so the kids sometimes visited the residents.

The only complaint I had was that they used to have a morning excercise class for the residents, and my grandma participated. She was a stroke victim, and medicare had stopped physical therapy, because she wasn't seen as benefitting from it. But the class was a simple thing, involving stretches and music. When the home made budget cuts, that was the first thing they cut. My grandma started going downhill faster at that point, both her memory and her abilities to read and concentrate on things like crossword puzzles.

When I did Life Safety inspections, I had the opportunity to be in and out of a lot of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. I also saw a lot during the years that my mother was ill.

The absolute very best place I ever saw was a Christian Science facility. It was scary clean and very beautiful. The food was amazing. Every inch outside was covered with gentle wide paths and patios all surrounded by amazing gardening and water features. The staff were all awesome and they provided wonderful care and a constant stream of activities, classes, and outings.

But they had to be good. They didn't have the opportunity to drug the residents into submission. ;)

After my father in law's death, my husband and his brother moved their mother into a beautiful facility in Pittsburgh. She was in the assisted living part because she needed a lot of supervision, to put it mildly.

The place was beautiful, the staff were terrific, the landscaping was lovely. My husband's very favorite part was that it was at the bottom of a very steep hill, so escape was out of the question. :p

When I did Life Safety inspections, I had the opportunity to be in and out of a lot of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. I also saw a lot during the years that my mother was ill.

The absolute very best place I ever saw was a Christian Science facility. It was scary clean and very beautiful. The food was amazing. Every inch outside was covered with gentle wide paths and patios all surrounded by amazing gardening and water features. The staff were all awesome and they provided wonderful care and a constant stream of activities, classes, and outings.

But they had to be good. They didn't have the opportunity to drug the residents into submission. ;)

How true that is. I had "conversations" with my mom's physician over a few of the prescriptions he had given her. She refused to go to the home's beauty parlor on occasion and would not allow them to wash her hair. So suddenly there was a new prescription for tranquilizers. She was getting too drugged, almost comatose.It backfired on me, though, as they pulled her off cold-turkey.

That home sounds outstanding. There's one here that does the "Eden Experience", focusing on many pets in the home (actually allowing the residents to keep their own pet in the room, with the nurses helping in the care) and plants everywhere. It's owned by the Masonic order. It's spotlessly clean and has a very cheerful atmosphere. Sadly, there was such a long waiting list that my sis and I could never get my mom in there.